General question, Powder for the 45 ACP

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Rule3

Rule3

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With so many powders out there and everyone has a favorite, Has there been any proven results on what makes the most accurate 45 ammo with a standard 230 gr FMJRN?

The standard GI load was with Bullseye a fairly fast powder.

Many use HP 38 or Unique. I have used all of these and Win Auto Comp.

Is there any real difference in using the slightly slower powders? Or is it just a perceived individual thing.?

I have no experience with Accurate brand Powders

Does it really matter?
 
It probably comes down to individual preference. As you mentioned, Bullseye was the factory standard for a very long time. I use both Bullseye and Unique with similar results, but there are plenty of other shooters that will swear by other powders and get similar accuracy to my loads.
 
While I have other powders I could try I am in the Bullseye & Unique group. Simply works well in all of my 45 ACP guns so I never bothered to try anything else.

Ron
 
There are slower powders you can use but generally the gain isn't much. Most of the fast powders operate at a burn rate that is good for 45 acp.

I've used power pistol for jacketed 45acp but the gain in velocity isn't worth the bang, boom, and recoil when loading FMJ for punching paper.
 
700-X is my main powder for 45ACP and 230 RN. I have been using it for decades.

I have back up loads using Acurate #5 and Unique.

I have probably tried Bullseye but have not bought any in a long time.

I cannot say I see any difference in accuracy between the powders but I am no bullseye shooter and my 45s are not competition guns.

So, use what you got or can get and work up an optimum load.
 
99% of my handgun loads are with lead bullets. I use Unique for 45 ACP but could get by with Bullseye.
 
IMR-PB was all I could find and use... until I found 700-x

Now I have some Tite Group

So all three for me!

I don't yet have an opinion on accuracy... I'm the wildcard in the comparison (how I feel/shoot that day)... Inaccuracy is not the powder's fault!
 
I use both Bullseye and Unique. Both work great. But I favor Bullseye for the simple reason it takes less powder to get the job done and is, therefore, cheaper. Unless I'm trying for really hot loads, then I go for Unique. If I want a 900+fps 230 gr. load I'll use Unique. Bullseye isn't really suited for that application. But dial it down a bit and my nod goes to Bullseye.
 
Any of the faster powders seem to work fine: Bullseye, Win231/HP-38, Ramshot Zip...

I also like VV N340, Tite Group and Ramshot Silhouette. And a bunch of others.
 
I'm relatively new at reloading 45 acp. (3-4k loaded and shot so far) I use Red Dot for 230gr plated with great success.
 
Bullseye, Ramshot Silhouette, W231/HP38, Power Pistol, Unique. In that order. The last 2 are really dirty and I avoid them when I can even though they give me the best velocity.

Silhouette is clean with low muzzle flash and soft recoil.

Bullseye was the powder used for the original .45ACP 230g FMH loads (810fps) and 4.7g gives me that.
 
Oh, I have tried over 20 powders in 45acp in the last 18 months. :what:

What I have found, generally, is the the faster powders will give less velocity and less felt recoil, and sometimes better accuracy, than the slower powders. Conversely, the slower powders will give higher velocities.

I have my favorites. Titegroup, 700x, AA#5, Bullseye, Red Dot, CFE Pistol, Trailboss. (Not necessarily in that order). Some I have worked up loads for that gave good chrono results, but haven't used enough to really recommend yet, are WST and Titewad.

Trailboss is an excellent powder for reduced recoil low velocity loads in 45acp. There is NO way you can get a double charge with it, and it would be obvious if you over-charged.

700x does not meter as well as some of the others, but if I use the aquarium pump trick on my Dillon measure, I get +/- 0.1gn.

AA#5 did not give me great standard deviation or velocity spread, but was one of the more accurate loads I have tested. It meters very well.

Titegroup is a powder that has worked very well for me across a lot of calibers. It takes low charges so it it economical, but it does not fill the case so it is easy to double-charge.

The only thing I can say bad about Bullseye is that it burns sooty. Not a big deal for me, though. It is consistent and accurate.

I tried Unique and didn't like it as much as others. I know a lot of people love it, though. I also did not get good results out of VV N-310, but I have a couple of friends that get great results from it. 800x works really well and is very accurate, but meters like cornflakes, I would probably hand weigh each charge if I were to use it.

That is all I can remember of the top of my head right now.
 
Accurate arms nitro 100

NITRO 100 IS GREAT 45ACP AND 9MM POWDER. IF YOU CAN FIND SOME

GRAB IT. VERY FAST POWDER. AND CLEAN BURNING.

FYI

Mr835 is gone.
 
Bullseye, Unique, BE-86, HP-38 and if I want real power, Power Pistol. Accurate No 2 is VERY nice also. Western lists standard as well as +P loads for the #2 in .45

Russellc
 
I don't think brand X is inherently better than brand Y; it all depends on what you want from your load and your preference in how you get it (i.e., velocity vs. felt recoil, or clean burning vs. whatever else). I have found Red Dot, Bullseye and WST to be very good for me in target loads. I like Longshot and Silhouette for jacketed bullets and higher velocity. Like others, I have used numerous other powders also. I think once you find one load that you get consistent good results with, that kinda ends the search - at least until you run out of that powder or get bored and want to experiment with another. That's been my experience, anyway.
 
I have used most of them and really have no preference. Seems like BE is still the overall favorite.

I was mainly asking due to unavailability I have more of Unique and Win Auto comp than BE and HP38 so I wanted to use those more.

Thanks
 
# 1HP38/231

#2 N320
#3 Titegroup, WSF, Promo, Universal, BE86

I loaded some 45 APC with Longshot when that was all I had.
The longshot was not happy until the high end of the charge scale which made for some stout loads. I have also used Autocomp, Powerpistol and Bulseye which seemed shoot ok. I would call them tied for 4th.
Unique and Longshot would be #5.

(If I was after heavy 45 loads Lonshot would probably be at the top)

I have used CFE pistol but I have not shot enough of it yet to say where it would fall on the list.
 
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My opinion is that it varies on what type of load you want.

If I want soft shooting target loads that just barely cycle a slide, I use Bullseye.
If I want something more like most factory ammo, but more accurate, I use Unique. W231 was a close 2nd for this purpose.
If I want the hardest hitting ammo that I can make, staying accurate and safe, I use True Blue.

This only applies to .45acp, as I have 3 other powders that I'd use for say 9mm. But in my experience Bullseye hasn't been too accurate at the top end of the data. Unique was just as accurate on the low end as it was in the middle, but wouldn't give 100% cycling reliability. And at the top end Unique went down in accuracy. True Blue was terrible with low to mid charges and I almost gave up on it. But man, it does nice on the high end. Too bad I'm of Unique and Bullseye, and my True Blue is saved for other cartridges. But I've found other powders that are close enough.

This is just MY experience. I haven't used every powder that's "suitable" for .45acp, and I never will. And it's simply because some of them don't interest me, like Tightgroup. Even if Tightgroup is GUARANTEED to produce the best .45acp ammo EVER, I still won't use it. It's not the only powder on my "never gonna try" list. But that's getting off topic so I'll leave it at that.
 
I'll drop in WST. Good for general target practice. Accurate and easy on the recoil. It isn't a powerful powder. But it works good with lead and jacketed bullets. Easy to clean up after a trip to the range. :)
 
I will second what kcofohio said. WST has been my favorite 45acp powder for about 4 years now. Guy from a LGS turned me onto it, he shoots matches with it and has been very good in my guns.
 
95% of my .45acp loads are (drumroll) 5gr Bullseye with the good ole 230gr RN cast, plated or jacketed. The tried and true "standard" load. It shoots well in all my .45acp pistols now and in the past. That is not to say I haven't tried others. AA#5 has worked well for some hotter loads. My experience has been that fast powders and the not so fast, but still fast, powders all work, well. A very forgiving round to load.
 
I'll third (kcofohio)
been using WST. with 200 grain H&g'68's
For several years

Don't know how they would compare to the 230 grain jacketed you have
but if you can find a bottle....try it

Quarter sized groups at 10 yards (except for an always present flyer )and single digit SD'S.
WST has been one powder I can consistently find too
 
About 90% of my .45 acp loading is done with either Bullseye or Winchester 231, with the majority being Bullseye.

Hope this helps.

Fred
 
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